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Monday, July 21, 2014

Junk Yard Step Chair Redo: $11 Knockoff

My old Dodge pickup is rusting. Trying to restore the rusting parts piece by piece, hoping to keep it in good condition, my handy husband went to his favorite salvage yard in search of a fender. He called me when he found one and said, "I've got a fender and there is an old kitchen step stool seat thing here that is getting thrown out. It's really rough. Is it something you are interested in trying to fix up?" I said "YES! Please and thank you!" Rough, but having potential, I intended to redo the step chair in industrial style for the workshop. I envisioned chrome legs and steel diamond plated steps, seat and backrest. That was... until I saw this...

Bicycle Spoke Stool -Industrial Furniture at Milan Direct

Leather and rustic metal. I love it. Old world marries the new world. Intriguingly attractive to me. I changed my "diamond plate mind".

A woman's "right" thing to do. So I set myself up to replicate my inspirational piece idea.

"Original junk yard- to- be- thrown- away condition."

To begin, I had to remove the rusted and padless seat; then remove the damaged backrest. The seat was attached with bend tabbing. Carefully bending it away, I was surprised to find the metal still strong; despite the rust and neglect. The backrest was secured with four screws. Easy peasy.

The original upholstery was a black vinyl. So totally vintage. It never had a facelift before other than someone's attempt to spray it a copper color.

I removed the glued on padding from both pieces.

Then I cleaned and sanded them.

Even though the pieces were not going to be seen, they will be used in their original places. So I sprayed them with a rust preventive paint.

Also prepped the area where the upholstered backrest goes.

Paint and primer in one was a very simple single spraying step. ($7)

Then I started the sanding process. The steps were the easy part to do. Trying to get the entire chair to the bare metal was the labor intensive part.

When the seat and backrest parts were dry, I started upholstering with foam pieces. (Scraps from previous projects)

I bought a "pleather" skirt at a thrift store ($3.99) and opted to use that material.

I really didn't want to use the area with the skirt pockets, but after setting it to see how it looked, I went for it. Adding a little stitching detail, it became a design statement. I used sticky glue to attach the fabric to the metal frames, further holding it in place with gorilla tape. Using memory foam on the seat, the weight of a full can of paint helped to hold the foam down while the glue dried.

Using a primer and paint in one again, I sprayed on flat black to the entire chair.

After the paint dried, I sanded to distress some areas allowing the bare metal to show through.

Then, clear coated with Valspar polyurethane to seal the paint and metal for protection.

After the chair dried, I attached the backrest and seat.

(Cute pocket. It has room for a chocolate bar... for those emergency moments, of course.)

Those who follow me, know I'm a "leather belt lover-recycler". So of course I had to trim off the seat with an old worn belt for a little more character. It had all of the natural distress I wanted done for me. I removed the backrest supports and drilled a hole through the belt into the original screw holes on the chair. The belt became secured all around the rim of the seat.

Best part: Ready to move into the workshop.

And that chunk of metal nearby... that's my salvaged truck fender. (Hubby's project waiting for him.) I wanted to use it in this backdrop to be all industrial-like.

An afterthought. Those come around now and then... I applied glue to belt ends and slid them into both of the backrest supports. It added a little more "raw" element.

I got the look I love for much less than my inspirational piece.

So now, hubby and I have a workbench chair. An awesome old one. Great step up type to use for those higher shelves that I used to use a crate box to get to.

For just eleven bucks!

Do you have an inspirational piece too? If so, I'd love to see what you do.

That is simply awesome! Love your use of an old belt and skirt. This stool brought back memories - we had one just like it when I was growing up. Excellent makeover...far more exciting than the vendor :)

Sometimes a piece in the worst condition can have the best transformation. I immediately wanted it to be steel diamond plated, but after seeing the industrial stool, this one had to be like it. Thank you, Karen!

I think I'm eventually going to be known as the "belt lady" because I love worn leather and adding them to rustic pieces. I think this one really gives the seat character. Thank you, Amber, I'm so glad you stopped by!

I agree, the memories of these step chairs are vivid. They are very heavy and sturdy. I do see them in vintage shops now, and quite pricey. If anyone still has them hanging around, they should realize how much they are sought after. I'm so glad you stopped by Marie, thank you!

I absolutely love it! The fabric (pocket included) looks just like vintage leather, and the belts really finish it beautifully. Pinned this to the Fridays Unfolded Link Board, and thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

This is such a wonderful upcycle, Robin. I saw one of these step stools a few weeks ago and thought something could be done with it but yours turned out so much nicer than even the one in my imagination! Thank you for sharing at Project Inspire{d} ~ I'll be featuring this at this week's party .

I absolutely adore this! It is such a great idea and I love how you mix old world and new world! Thanks so much for stopping by and linking to The Creative Exchange! I hope you have time to stop by again tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing!

What an amazing save! I can't believe how it was before. I am so inspired by your makeover skills. Thank you so much for linking up with The Handmade Hangout at Redouxinteriors. Sharing tonight at the party!

We have one of those stools out in shed. It was my first one I bought at Flea land in Bowling Green KY for $15. I like it better than newer one I have. The steps are bigger to stand on to keep a good hold on being up on a stool for a person with not the best balance. I get dizzy easily due to meds I take. The newer stool I have has such small steps I'm always afraid of falling. (so I've got big feet, sue me).Your old ready to throw out stool that has been redone so beautifully inspires me to fix old one up and put newer one out in shed. It's incredible to see what you did with that old stool. You are indeed talented and patient. I will be pinning this so I can refer back to steps you took to refurbish that old stool. Love how it looks now. Great excellent work. Glad I clicked on this. Found this post on City Farmhouse Inspiration Exchange

I agree with you about these older step chairs being so much better than the new ones. They are built well; and heavy too. I can't believe how well they hold up structurally. The padded seats have always become a bit worn and tattered but certainly fixable. I am so happy you will work on yours. Please share it when you are finished. I'd love to see it. Thank you.

This is awesome! I'm always looking for ways to use something leather from the thrift shop. I like how you incorporated even the busy pieces of the skirt into it. You also made the task of taking off rust look less daunting! Thanks for linking to Think and Make Thursdays!

Holy cow! Color me impressed! What a great find and I love that you used a pleather skirt to upholster it--so resourceful. Thanks for linking up to Think and Make Thursdays! - Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body

Isn't it crazy how inexpensive it is? I got a lot of bang out of a few bucks. To top it off, hubby and I went to our local Habitat Restore this last weekend and I got a short metal stool very similar to my inspirational piece. ($5) I'll redo it the same. Now we will have a set of matching pieces in our shops.

I love, love, LOVE this, Robin! I'm planning to feature it on Think and Make Thursday this week as one of my Bright Ideas. I'm so glad you shared it with us. It turned out amazing! Hope you'll join us again this Thursday at 6 AM ET (or anytime thereafter!)

Robin, this is awesome! I Love your style. This project was featured over at our ReLoved Fridays and you were our featured blogger this week! Thanks for linking up! I hope to see you again at this weeks party!

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